Protecting Your Clothes

Clothes are an investment worth protecting. Send them to a dry cleaner, clothes will last longer if they are cleaned regularly after wearing, Here is why....

At the dry cleaners, clothes aren't really cleaned using a dry method. They go into a machine dry and are removed dry, but are cleaned using a liquid solvent....

Garments are separated by color, weight, and fiber content and are checked over for spots, buttons, sequins, trims or anything that might not go through the cleaning process without being worn away, broken or even melted.

After sorting, the clothes go into a dry cleaning machine that holds approximately 50 pounds of clothing.

A measured amount of perchloroethylene or "perc" wets the clothes. The machine immerses the garment completely in this solution, allowing it to break down oils and remove most soils as it cleanses the fibers of the garments.

The "perc" is then extracted and the clothes are agitated until dry.

The Federal Trade Commission requires that manufacturers have to list at least one method of care for each garment, but there may be several options available for correctly cleaning the garment. Dry cleaners have to follow the instructions on the care label.

Clothes with delicate trims or fragile buttons are cleaned using a separate machine and process. This machine is an environmentally safe machine, meaning it doesn't produce a solid waste that might be considered hazardous by the EPA.

Garments with spots and stains are tagged prior to washing, indicating the location and type of stain and sent to a spotter for treatment.

An appropriate chemical or spotting agent is applied to the stain and worked into the fabric with a bone scraper Steam guns and tamping brushes are then applied as needed to help release the stain from the fiber.

Specifics are very helpful to a dry cleaner when treating stains. The more information they have on the type of stain, the better the chances of complete stain removal. For example, salad oil, juice or gravy stains are different types of stains requiring separate types of treatment.

Never wait to bring in a stained garment. The longer the stain remains on the garment the more time it has to bond with the fibers and attract microscopic bugs and insects that will do damage to the fibers as well.

Once the garment is clean, it is steamed for a crisp look and hung on a hanger ready for pick-up by the customer.

Clothes are an investment worth protecting. Send them to a dry cleaner, clothes will last longer if they are cleaned regularly after wearing.